Liverpool-linked star consents surprise £40m transfer to Qatar
Marco Verratti will be joining Al Arabi in Qatar, according to Fabrizio Romano, who announced the news on Twitter. Liverpool has been mentioned in connection with the Italian international footballer.
After being linked with a move away from PSG throughout the entirety of the summer, the transfer guru announced on social media that the midfielder will be moving to the Middle Eastern team in a deal worth €45 million (£40 million).
Liverpool was one of the teams that had expressed interest in acquiring Verratti, but it appears that the Reds were never even close to reaching an agreement for the 30-year-old player when the transfer window was open.
And now, Liverpool’s brief window of opportunity to recruit Verratti has closed because the midfielder has made the unexpected choice to relocate to Qatar. This decision follows Andres Iniesta’s earlier move earlier this summer, when he also made a move to Qatar.
In point of fact, Saudi Arabia have garnered the majority of the attention in the transfer window due to their celebrity signings, but Qatar has now managed to secure their very own superstar player in the form of Verratti.
The ability of countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to compete with the very best in Europe took a giant leap forward this past summer, contributing to the region’s ever-increasing influence on the sport of football.
And with regard to Verratti, Liverpool will feel as though they were at an unfair disadvantage in any quest for the midfielder during this window due to the Qatari ownership of PSG.
Verratti has already decided to play in Qatar despite the fact that his greatest years are still in front of him, therefore Liverpool shouldn’t waste their time lamenting the fact that they won’t be able to sign him even if a transfer was never likely in the first place.
Liverpool-linked star consents surprise £40m transfer to Qatar